Fact Sheet: Orangutans
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Some basic facts about orangutans
Population: Less than 60,000
Area of distribution: Lives in the rainforest of Borneo and Sumatra
Social: Males live alone and females lives with infants
Height: Male 4.5 feet, female 3.5 feet
Reach: The arms of an orangutan can have a reach of more than 8 feet
Weight: Male 130 - 200 lbs, female 90 - 120 lbs
Lifespan: In the wild 35 - 50 years
Number of babies: 1 at a time, every 6 -7 years
Food: Tropical fruits, leaves, sprouts, bark and insects. Have the ability to eat unripe fruits which gives them an advantage to other fruits eaters.
BOS rehabilitation centers: Today we care for nearly 1000 orangutans in our two centers at Nyaru Menteng and Wanariset.
Nobody knows exactly how many orangutans are left in the world but it is believed to be less than 60,000. They live in the wild only in Borneo and Sumatra, divided into two different subspecies. In general, Borneans are slightly smaller in size and have darker hair. The Bornean subspecies is further divided into several distinct geographic types.
The orangutan is the only non-human great ape left in Asia, but due to all the threats against them their chances of survival is quickly diminishing. In Sumatra alone, the latest population count shows that the number has been reduced from 12,000 in 1993 to around 6,500 today. In Borneo there are an estimated 50,000 left.
Saving orangutans is built on the premise of protecting and preserving the rainforest. This is not only decisive for the orangutans but also for thousands of other threatened animal and plants species.
